The deepest memories of the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ are those of the people, my co-students and the faculty administration and members who were instantly generous and inclusive from the beginning and from whom I have gained immense learning.
Memories of Greenwich
I chose this photo because it combines everything that is important in my life. I shared my graduation day with my family (the reason for every achievement so far), and it’s a day that I will never forget. Up to this point in my life, I had received many qualifications, all from professional bodies or institutions, but in July 2018, I graduated as a Master of Sciences from the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ. There is something about being a graduate from a university that was ingrained deep within me, and I had finally reached this goal at age 56. Studying here meant that I would spend several weekends during each module in London, one of my most favourite places in the world, but most significantly we would study in the shadow of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, one of the World’s (and the World of Science’s) iconic buildings.
The online format meant I could structure my Masters around my chosen path within the discipline of Biomedical Science and time the completion of modules in a way that fitted with my family life and heavy work demands. My qualifications are recognised both by our Professional Bodies in Ireland and in the UK, a fundamental requirement in the context of the current Irish process of state registration of healthcare professionals.
Life after Greenwich
Having moved from institutional qualifications to University based qualifications in the early 2000's my credentials (I qualified initially in 1985) now represented a bar in my ability to progress within my chosen field. The MSc in Biomedical Sciences from the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ has allowed me to progress to a level that I feel I have earned and to which I bring a significant amount of experience. I am currently the Quality Manager in Blood Transfusion at the General Hospital Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.
If you’re deciding what your next steps are, remember to take time to figure out what you want, break the progression to your goal into smaller parts and go to work.
Absolutely expect that things will go wrong, and the plan may have to change, (life gets in the way), but don’t give up… there is always a way around each setback. I know this since I started the then equivalent for Biomedical Scientists (Fellowship of the Institute) in 1990 and eventually got there in 2018. Life got in the way, but I didn’t give up.
